Cardiac arrest after succinylcholine administration in a pregnant patient recovered from Guillain-Barré syndrome

Abstract

This report describes a parturient who, within 1 month of recovering from a neurologic deficit, suffered cardiac arrest secondary to succinylcholine-induced hyperkalemia. This patient's course may not apply to all patients with GBS because the diagnosis of GBS, although supported on clinical grounds, was not supported by conclusive, objective data. Furthermore, pregnancy, drug abuse, and malnutrition may have had a unique impact on her muscle physiology. Nevertheless, it is important to note that, in any patient who is recovering or has clinically recovered from a neurologic deficit, a normal neurologic examination does not ensure that succinylcholine-induced hyperkalemia will not occur. Although these patients should eventually not be susceptible to succinylcholine-induced hyperkalemia, current data do not support a specific recommendation of when succinylcholine would be safe.